Kansas City hosts Chicago, looks to build on Sparkman's strong performance
Chicago White Sox (42-49, third in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (34-62, fourth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Kansas; Wednesday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: White Sox: Ivan Nova (4-8, 5.60 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 70 strikeouts) Royals: Danny Duffy (3-5, 4.64 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 64 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Kansas City heads into the matchup after a dominant performance by Glenn Sparkman. Sparkman threw nine innings, surrendering zero runs on five hits with eight strikeouts against Chicago.
The Royals are 18-26 against teams from the AL Central. Kansas City is hitting a collective batting average of .248 this season, led by Whit Merrifield with an average of .311.
The White Sox have gone 22-18 against division opponents. Chicago is hitting a collective .255 this season, led by James McCann with an average of .309. The Royals won the last meeting 11-0. Glenn Sparkman earned his third victory and Hunter Dozier went 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run and three RBIs for Kansas City. Dylan Cease took his first loss for Chicago.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jorge Soler leads the Royals with 25 home runs and is batting .240. Merrifield is 14-for-41 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
Jose Abreu leads the White Sox with 42 extra base hits and is slugging .500. Yoan Moncada is 11-for-38 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 5-5, .263 batting average, 4.30 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs
White Sox: 3-7, .251 batting average, 5.83 ERA, outscored by 32 runs
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: 60-day IL (hip), Jesse Hahn: 60-day IL (elbow), Danny Duffy: day-to-day (hand), Adalberto Mondesi: day-to-day (shoulder), Salvador Perez: 60-day IL (elbow).
White Sox Injuries: Carlos Rodon: 60-day IL (elbow), Michael Kopech: 60-day IL (elbow), Nate Jones: 60-day IL (elbow), Ryan Burr: 60-day IL (elbow), Manny Banuelos: 10-day IL (shoulder), Eloy Jimenez: day-to-day (elbow), Tim Anderson: 10-day IL (ankle).
